Fashion Friday: Polka Dots

Cookie: You’re very polka-dotty today.
Me: Well spotted.

We moved to a new office this week, in the heart of the city, in a high-rise building. Better than an old school hall, better than the third level of a small building in a bland little part of town, better than the third level of a bunch of design suites, better than being above a massage parlour and a herbalist (third level again), possibly better than the wharf we were located at before. And it has only just occurred to me how many times – through the various jobs I have had – I have been on level three.

This outfit is from last week. We were having a farewell party to say goodbye to the office by the water, and I thought about wearing something really classy, but I scrapped that idea. This outfit is a bit more playful and bold.

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I’m wearing a fluorescent peach top I got from Cotton On. When I bought it, I was excited to have a coloured, rounded neck tee, because I have so few of those. When I received it in the mail, I was pretty surprised at just how bright it was. It’s quite a snug fit, and I’ve found that I prefer to wear it tucked in. It stands out a lot, so I make sure everything else I wear with the shirt isn’t as bright.

I’m wearing a cropped jacket with pockets. The pockets are quite shallow (my phone sticks out of it if I put it in) and I keep forgetting that they are there, but if I’m not moving around too much, anything in there shouldn’t fall out too easily. The jacket itself doesn’t stretch. It’s tweed and lined with thin polyester fabric. The little thing I like about this jacket is that it also has cropped sleeves, so it doesn’t cover the wrists. I love sleeves that are at this length. You can wear bracelets or show off other jewellery on the wrist without pulling up any sleeves.

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The polka-dotted skirt, another number designed by my aunt, isn’t a real favourite, but I have found that it goes very well with cropped tops or if I want to tuck a shirt in and accentuate my waist. The skirt is a statement piece itself so everything else should ideally be simple. I have a black spotted top, but no way in hell am I going to be a walking optical illusion by wearing that with this skirt.

I am quite happy with the print. Being quite petite, I know that large-scale prints can make me look even smaller, so I go for prints that are on a smaller scale. Think skinny stripes, not wide ones, more detailed floral patterns rather than big ones, and in this case, smaller spots/polka dots.

I rediscovered my boots in my wardrobe. They’re from Jane Debster, and the page is still on their website if you want to look into the details and check out some better photos. The style is called Egypt Black Glove, and they’re real leather, so did set me back a bit, but I also bought them on sale. They are quite a few years old and I remember them getting soaked through one rainy night back home from university. But they have lasted a while. I’ll admit they’re getting pretty beat up now, though. One of the heels has worn out quite a bit and there is a dent in one of the toes. But I love, love, love this pair of shoes to bits. I had been dying for some heeled ankle boots and these are certainly a winner. Given the chance, I would totally buy another pair. I’m a bit like that with shoes because it is difficult to find ones that fit me. Once I find a pair I love, I stick to them like glue.

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I bought the giant red bangle from Lovisa. When I saw it, it was labelled as new stock, but that wasn’t what won me – it was the colour and the style. I couldn’t resist the red, and the style was chunky without being too plastic-like or tacky, which I think is because of the translucency. If I really like something when I first see it, and don’t look at the price first, that’s how I know it’s worth buying. Sadly Lovisa no longer have an online store because they decided to focus on bringing better pieces and more collections in-store. I find it a bit unfair; I know they had a lot of international fans, and buying online is quite easy. These days, nearly every store sells online as well as in-store.

I suppose the giant panda ring borders on tacky, but it’s definitely a statement piece. If you’re looking to get your own you can get it on eBay just like I did. It ships from China and there are a few other listings for the same piece. It costs about the same as your morning coffee. I have had mine for a couple of years and it has discoloured just a bit, but it’s doing well. I’ve found a similar, 18K gold panda ring, made with Swarovski crystals, if you’re willing to pay a bit more for something just as cute. It’s listed at about $13 AUD but in my opinion, still quite a bargain, from a trusted seller as well.

For the record, I have bought 18K jewellery – or items that at least things that claim to be 18K – on eBay, and I have found about 99% of them to be honest. I think a few of them were only plated, but none were ever complete plastic rip-offs. Just a heads up, if you were ever wondering.

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Last but not least, a simple twist bun in my hair. I forgot where I got the jewelled clip from, but it’s one of my favourite alligator clips and has lasted nearly a century. I’m pretty sure I started using it in secondary school. Putting my hair up isn’t one of my favourite styles, but I felt there would be too much going on in this outfit if I let my hair loose.

I hate makeup and only wear it for weddings or if the occasion really asks. (You may have noticed I don’t wear any.) But I like to wear lip gloss from time to time. I have used YSL Rouge Pour Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain in #8 Orange de Chine in this post. :)

Are you a fan of bold prints or colours?

Comments on this post

I really like the bold polka dot skirt. You can have it really summery and wear it up with colours or keep it minimal with a white shirt. Very very nice :)

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite of all the looks that you’ve shown us. I love the polka dots, the pop of color, the jewelry selection, the hairstyle, everything about it! I love your haircolor. It’s so cute!

I love this one! Your hair looks so pretty, and the lipstick looks amazing on you. :D This outfit is my favorite so far.

I looooooove this outfit! I love how the texture of the tweed jacket doesn’t clash the polka dotted printed skirt and both of them goes well with that Cotton On top which have gorgeous colour, I might add. I love how the lip colour complements the colour of the top too! ♥

I love the polka dot skirt and the outfit itself. You did an awesome job of putting this outfit together.

Your hair looks super pretty as well. Maybe I should I start buying that hair dye that wears off when you shower. I’ve been wanting to dye my hair black with blue streaks in it again as it was short lived. Since I will be starting college on the 18th, I don’t want to look UN-professional. I was just told that black is classy. So, I guess I’ll leave it the way it is.

You honestly don’t need make up because you look beautiful as you are! I really love the style. :D

Wow, I didn’t know that Lovisa decided to not have any online stores. That seems so weird, considering you would think 80/90% of their market would probably be there. Maybe the company is winding down. :/

I really love that Panda ring. :D <3

I heard that Diva is now gone, and has merged into Lovisa. I see a lot of people on social media asking where their online store has gone, and they keep saying they are focusing on their physical stores. Maybe they can’t afford to hire someone to work on their online store, or they weren’t getting many sales from their online store and it wasn’t worth the effort. I think they’re still quite popular though. :)

That polka-dot skirt is super cute and goes well with the entire outfit!

I hardly every wear makeup, with an exception of eye liner, which I apply if I have a lot of time to get ready (That’s next to never :P)

Good post, Georgie!

Cute outfit! I think the polka-dotted pattern looks good on you :) I’m a fan of sleeves at that length too, even on shirts. The sleeves don’t get in the way.

I actually like the panda ring and don’t think it’s tacky, haha. It’s probably because I love cute panda things. The bracelet looks nice with your shirt too!

The first thing I noticed was how you did your hair and how much I liked it. That’s a pretty clip! That’s awesome that it’s lasted so long. I feel like my hair clips normally break after a while.

I’m a fan of bold prints and colors… but I often don’t wear them! I guess I play it safe a lot of times.

Your outfit works really well! I thought it had a hint of classy with the jacket and skirt :). The length of the jacket gives you a perfect opportunity to wear your bracelets and rings with pride~

The size of the dots matches you. Petite dots with a petite person, get it? XD. The panda ring is adorable. It matches that whole black+white (skirt/jacket) :D.

I’m not one for makeup either *o*. Annnnnnd I’m not much of a fan of bold prints on myself. At the most, I have tiger stripe prints on one of my shorts and I barely wear it. I usually tend to stick to stripes or plain.

This look is amazing.
I can’t wait to be in my early 20s with a job in the city.
I remember you mentioning before that you’re not really into the high-waisted look but it suits you really well. And your bracelet goes with your hair, that’s so cute. I’d love to buy a new pair of leather shoes like those in your outfit but dat unemployed hsc student life.

[Feels good to be posting a comment with the ‘website’ part filled in, even if you can only see the public directory due to my lack of index lmao]

How are you able to pull off a bold print with a bold colour and also bold jewellery? So good, Georgie!

Yeah haha, not a fan of high waists, but I guess they are okay with hems that aren’t too short. I’ve worked in the city for years but if you work in an industry like mine, they probably won’t make you dress up in a suit.

The trick is balancing it out, I guess. That rule about taking off one accessory before you leave the house is true… you don’t want to overdo it. It’s why I don’t wear giant earrings anymore; I prefer to dress up my wrists and/or fingers. I also don’t really wear many necklaces other than my always-there guitar pick one. Just choose to accessorise one place and even with a bold outfit, it won’t be hard to pull off. :) I mean, my right hand has a chunky ring and bangle, whereas my other hand only has a watch and some tiny rings.

Are you a fan of bold prints or colours?
Colors…..because I don’t think polka dots or stripes are “bold” since they’re really just normal prints, but bold would be like…oh I don’t know, robots & diamonds or something which is a tad childish for me, personally.

I like this outfit! I think it’s probably one of your best FF outfits yet. It says young professional more than anything else & since you work in an office, that’s ideal! As for the make-up, I think if there is one thing all women should do with their face is to shape their eyebrows. You can have a unibrow or whatever, but shape it because eyebrows frame your face. This isn’t like some misogynist bias against feminism, it’s just a plain old observation: if you shape your eyebrows, how people see your face changes absolutely. Your eyebrows shape your face. Don’t like your nose? Use contouring. Don’t like your cheekbones because you don’t have any? Contour. Hate that your eyelashes are small? That’s okay, fake eyelashes, mascara, whatever. But eyebrows, dem eyebrows are important.

Anyway, this look is by far the best you’ve shown us, girl! You should really do more FF posts on the “young professional” outfits, yanoooeee? Maybe that’s really posh of me because I prefer looking at fancy outfits than casual ones haha. I guess something about the formalness seems way more planned out than shorts & a tan!

Thanks so much Tiff! I think I’m getting a lot of good feedback on this outfit too. My workplace is pretty laid back (most people wear shorts and t-shirts…), so the stuff I have been featuring has been a bit casual, and I sometimes just wear a denim skirt and boots to work. I guess I’ll change it up a bit, haha.

I’m freaked out at touching my eyebrows, haha. Definitely something my mum has mentioned before and I’ll totally bother her about, because she knows her makeup & skincare from working in the biz.